Some Official Wizards' laboratories or certain research projects would purchase specific processed magical plants or minerals over the long term.
The prices were often somewhat higher than the immediate tasks in the task hall, but the requirements were also stricter.
Luo Lin selected several commissions with high precision requirements but low demand. Relying on his superb processing skills, he successfully passed their sample tests and gained two more stable sources of income from material processing.
These scattered tasks and commissions could bring him nearly a hundred additional contribution points each week.
In this way, Luo Lin successfully bypassed Frack's blockade and established multiple discreet, steady resource channels.
His reserve of contribution points began steadily growing again, with its sources dispersed and no longer conspicuous.
Luo Lin invested most of his income into improving himself.
Besides the 20 contribution points he spent each week on food and herbal tea, he began buying incense that could slightly nourish his mental strength, consuming around 30 contribution points per week.
Used during meditation, its effects were subtle, but over time, it could still speed up his progress a little.
He also purchased copied notes on spell model construction techniques, further optimizing the construction efficiency of [Mage Hand]. Still, spending more than 100 contribution points made Luo Lin ache with regret.
Time flew by amid fulfilling research, cultivation, and accumulation.
The numbers on his panel continued to rise steadily, progressing toward the threshold of a Second-Rank Apprentice.
Time quietly passed amid Luo Lin's regular and efficient routine. In the blink of an eye, another half month had gone by.
Less than four weeks remained until the final apprentice assessment.
Late that night, Luo Lin completed a long meditation session. He felt more mentally replenished than ever before, and mana flowed smoothly through his body.
With a thought, he summoned the panel and examined his current condition:
[Subject: Luo Lin] [Race: Human] [Status: Healthy] [Level: First-Rank Wizard Apprentice (Progress 99%)] [Attributes: Constitution: 1.0 Mental Strength: 2.1 Mana: 20/21] [Mastered Knowledge: Basic Meditation Method (Mastery 5%) Basic Rune Identification (Beginner 22%) Basic Magical Botany (38%) Basic Potion Material Processing (Professional 15%) Analysis of Common Cantrip Model Structures (Proficient 12%)] [Spell: Mage Hand (Proficient 55%)] [Talent: Efficient Scholar (Passive)]
Every value on the panel had improved.
His apprentice rank had reached the limit of the first rank. He only needed one final push to break through to the second rank.
His mental attribute had exceeded 2.0, and his maximum mana had reached 21 points.
[Basic Meditation Method] had even entered the mastery level, meaning that his understanding and application of this basic meditation method had reached a new height.
[Mage Hand] had also surpassed the halfway point of proficiency. He could now construct its model extremely quickly, and the energy hand was solid and stable enough to lift objects weighing several kilograms. He could also perform delicate actions, such as turning pages or picking up small objects.
With continuous exercise and sufficient nutrition, his constitution had finally reached the ordinary person's standard of 1.0, freeing him from his weakened state.
As for resources, through Grey Tower General Store's stable supply and the completion of various scattered material-processing tasks and long-term commissions, he had accumulated nearly 1,200 contribution points after deducting daily expenses.
That was no small fortune, enough for him to purchase some truly useful resources.
With a breakthrough imminent, Luo Lin decided not to wait any longer.
He needed a push to help him break through the final barrier.
Luo Lin took out a [Lesser Mental Boiling Potion] of good quality that he had kept for himself.
This potion could temporarily increase mental strength activity, making it perfect for breaking through a bottleneck.
Pulling out the stopper, he downed the azure potion in one gulp.
A cool energy with a faint sting rapidly surged into his mind. His Mental Sea was like a lake into which a stone had been thrown, rippling outward as his senses became extraordinarily sharp.
He immediately focused his mind and fully activated the mastery-level [Basic Meditation Method].
His mental strength became unusually active under the potion's stimulation. Circulation paths that had once been obscure and difficult to understand now became clearly visible.
He guided the surging mental strength toward the invisible barrier obstructing his advancement.
Once, twice, three times, four times...
His mental strength slammed against the barrier, sending waves of swelling pain through him.
Luo Lin guarded his mind tightly and refused to retreat, focusing every ounce of his will onto a single point.
After an unknown amount of time, he seemed to hear a soft pop as the sturdy barrier was finally broken through.
In an instant, he felt his Mental Sea suddenly expand outward, becoming broader and more stable.
Both the quantity and purity of his mental strength increased noticeably, while the mana flowing through his body became richer and more agile.
That was right. He had succeeded!
Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice!
[Level: Second-Rank Wizard Apprentice (Progress 1%)] [Mental Strength: 2.5] [Mana: 25/25]
The joy brought by the breakthrough was brief, and Luo Lin quickly calmed down.
A Second-Rank Apprentice was only the first step. The road ahead was still much longer.
He needed to consolidate his realm, then begin planning his next move.
Becoming a Second-Rank Apprentice meant that his access privileges within the academy had increased.
He could accept tasks with relatively higher rewards but greater danger, and he could access more profound knowledge.
Most importantly, he was qualified to apply for an independent stone house equipped with basic protective and soundproofing arrays. His living conditions would improve immensely.
Luo Lin immediately went to the Administrative Tower to register his rank advancement and submit an application to change residences.
Changing stone houses required a one-time payment of 300 contribution points, as well as a monthly maintenance fee of 50 contribution points.
He paid without hesitation.
His new residence was located near the inner ring of the apprentice district, an independent stone house of roughly twenty square meters.
Though still simple, its stone walls were thick, and once its doors and windows were shut, it could effectively block out the cold wind.
Inside was a simple array that gathered energy particles, making the meditation environment several times better than before. There was also a fixed washing area.
This was crucial for potion brewing, which required both a quiet environment and cleanliness.
After moving into his new home, Luo Lin began considering learning new spells.
[Mage Hand] was certainly useful, but it lacked direct offensive and defensive capabilities.
He needed to improve his immediate combat strength.
Returning to the library's spell section, he browsed the list of cantrips available for Second-Rank Apprentices to borrow.
[Acid Spray]: Sprayed corrosive acid. Its offensive power was decent, but its range was short, and it required practice to avoid accidental injury.
Borrowing fee: 40 contribution points.
[Weak Force-Field Armor]: Formed a weak force field over the body's surface. It could withstand a small amount of physical attacks and energy impacts, but consumed considerable mental strength.
Borrowing fee: 45 contribution points.
[Stun Spell]: Fired a mental shock that briefly stunned nearby enemies. Its effect depended on the difference in mental strength between both sides.
Borrowing fee: 50 contribution points.
After weighing his options repeatedly, Luo Lin chose [Acid Spray] and [Weak Force-Field Armor].
One for offense, one for defense.
Although [Stun Spell] had a special effect, it relied on mental suppression. It might not work well against enemies stronger than him.
After paying 85 contribution points, he received two crystal shards containing the spell models.
Returning to the stone house, he began by studying [Acid Spray].
This spell model was more complex than [Mage Hand], involving energy conversion and directional spraying, making it more difficult to construct.
But with [Efficient Scholar], as well as his previous experience learning [Mage Hand] and reading analytical texts, he understood and memorized the model quickly.
However, he encountered trouble when actually constructing it.
This spell required him to manipulate mana to simulate an energy property with corrosive qualities, placing extremely high demands on the precision of mana control.
On his first attempt, the model collapsed halfway through construction because the simulated energy property was unstable. The backlash made Luo Lin's throat turn sweet, and he nearly coughed up blood.
Luo Lin did not rashly make a second attempt.
He stopped and carefully reviewed the failure, analyzing the key points in simulating the energy property.
Only after resting and confirming that his body was unharmed did he begin the second construction.
This time, he was more cautious. He slowed down when simulating the energy property and strove for precision.
Failure, adjustment, then another attempt...
It took him a full three days and dozens of failures before he finally succeeded in constructing a stable [Acid Spray] model for the first time.
With a thought, mana flowed into it.
Pfft!
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